


Grand Biological Clock Tour of North America

by Decibelle



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Found Families, Getting Together, Kid Fic, M/M, Parenthood, Uncle Sid - Freeform, post-retirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-23 14:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14936456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Decibelle/pseuds/Decibelle
Summary: Retirement is supposed to give Sid time to himself, but too much alone time isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sid's just going to drop in on a few teammates, hang out with their families, and take a little break from his solitude. That's all. At least, until one particular teammate starts to feel left out.





	Grand Biological Clock Tour of North America

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dadvans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadvans/gifts).



> This is a submission for the 2018 Sid/Geno Exchange, and a gift for dadvans. I hope you like it!

There’s a sunbeam trying to burn its way directly through his eyelids. It’s after seven and even though he has plans, solitary as they may be, Sid wouldn’t have gotten up if not for the stupid light he can see even with his face mashed into his pillow. He reaches out blindly and feels a small thrill of contentment when the other side of his bed is warm under his hand. It reminds him of the dream he’d been stirred from, where he’d been comforting his child after a nightmare, cuddling them close in their bed and describing the glowing stars on their ceiling to soothe them. There’s a figure in the doorway then, a warm shadowy presence that he can’t see but he knows they’re smiling.

 

“She sleep now, Sid. Come back to bed.” 

 

Sid opens his eyes. 

 

The sheets are only warm because the sun has been streaming in through the half-open curtain. If he goes down the hall he won’t find a fun bedroom painted lavender with glowing stars on the ceiling, only an office with beige walls. 

 

He’s not sure what the point is in getting up, beyond the fact that he’ll only feel worse if he stays in bed to wallow. He gets up for breakfast and reminds himself that his life is fine.

 

He’s a lucky man, really. He’s had an amazing career that lasted longer than most and when he retired last year it was on his own terms. He’s fortunate that his family are all healthy and happy, that he’s got more money than he could ever know what to do with, and a house all his own on the quiet lakefront. 

 

It’s just-

 

Sid likes his privacy, he always has, but as he surveys his backyard from the deck, the slight chill to the air and clear stillness of the water, he can’t help but remember that he always thought retirement would be a new chapter.

 

For the last six months, he’s been living as if he’s on an extended summer. He’s travelled a little, gone fishing a lot and done his best to enjoy the solitude that working in a team environment never allowed him. These things are great, but as the months drag on it’s been starting to lose its shine.

 

He steps down off the deck and onto the grass, feeling the moisture soak through his socks as he walks towards the dock with his coffee mug steaming in his hand. 

 

He has plenty of options. Everyone wants him to coach or train or lead. He’s had a dozen emails in the past week alone of teams and writers wanting him to weigh in on the current season. The plan - which he hasn’t told anyone but Taylor yet - is to pick something in Canada in the fall. Everyone thinks he should return to Pittsburgh, maybe follow in Mario’s footsteps and lead from the boxes, but he doesn’t think he could stand the continued notoriety. Not that he’d be incognito anywhere in Canada, but it’s a different sort of attention.

 

He sits down on the wood to peel off his socks and sit with his feet hanging just above the water. Sipping from his mug, he tries to plan out his day before he becomes overwhelmed by the enormity of future decisions.

 

One day at a time. 

 

Today is the grocery run and he also wants to get some supplies to fix up the dog door that’s been left to rust. He might replace it entirely. If he’s staying put, then getting a dog sounds like the perfect idea.

 

That will take up a couple of hours, but then what? 

 

He needs a task, one that’s bigger than the standard DIY projects he’s been fiddling with for several weeks now. 

 

He’s still got a couple of hours before the stores open, so there’s really no point to rush out. He pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of the lake. He hesitates on who to send it to and ultimately just adds it to the conversation he’d been having with Flower last week about the scented candle craze (Flower is all-in, Sid doesn’t quite see the point). It’s at the top of his screen anyway, so it’s Flower who gets the pretty view.

 

He sits with the silence a little while longer, then heads back into the house to get dressed for the day.

 

_X_

 

The picture, when he’d sent it, hadn’t intentionally been a cry for help but Flower had certainly read it that way. By nine-thirty, when Sid had been scowling at the shelves of the nearest home improvement store, his phone started popping up with short, continuous messages. After seeing the first one, he’d shoved his phone back into his pocket and tried to refocus on the task at hand, but they kept on coming.

 

_ That’s too lonely! _

 

_ It’s not even Monday! _

 

_ Why are you on your sad lake already? _

 

_ You need to get off your little island for a while. _

 

_ YES, I KNOW IT’S A PENINSULA _

 

_ Seriously. Come visit us. _

 

_ The girls will pretend they’re too cool for Uncle Sid but they miss you! _

 

_ Think about it, okay? _

 

_ Anytime. _

 

Sid caves and checks the messages once he’s back at the car. He hesitates over starting the engine for a long time because… It’s not really a bad idea. 

 

Why not?

 

He turns over the ignition and backs out of the space with renewed energy. He’s got some packing to do.

 

_X_

 

Never one to do things by halves, Sid is in Sorel-Tracy within three days. He’d only needed to pack light, visit with his parents, and actually tell the Fleurys to expect him. He could have been there in one day, but it had seemed too eager. Too transparent.

 

Three days seemed less desperate, but even he was painfully aware he’d used the same method as a guy trying to play it cool after a first date.

 

He was glad in the end that he hadn’t used his will power to give it a full week. The moment his taxi had pulled up at Flower’s house he’d immediately felt lighter. 

 

He’s never stayed here before, but Vero has assured him there is space and the girls won’t mind. They’re both teenagers now, so he doesn’t expect much of a reception from them, but as soon as Flower comes bounding out of the garage to drag him into the house, they’re at the front door to dutifully give him hugs before heading back to the living room. It makes him feel warm that Estelle and Scarlett are still kind enough to be welcoming to a man they’ve only seen once or twice a year since they were babies. He doesn’t take their dismissal after the fact to go back to their games personally. He’d expected to be ignored outright.

 

“Come on, we can do bags later. Vero and I have turned the garage into a games room. You’ll love it, it’s way too vintage for the rest of the house. How long are you staying?” Flower doesn’t stop talking as he drags Sid by the shoulders through to the garage, this time through a side door rather than around the front of the house.

 

And there’s the question. He doesn’t know how long he will stay. 

 

Fortunately, he can skip answering by oohing and ahhing appropriately over the decidedly retro wood panelling Flower (or more likely, Vero) has installed to make the room take on a seventies vibe to offset the more eighties games, like the air hockey table and whatever arcade game is beeping away in the corner. It’s a mishmash of styles, but Sid likes it a lot. It’s weird, a bit like Flower. 

 

It feels more like home than his house has lately.

 

_X_

 

Sid doesn’t have to decide how long he’s staying in the end, because he’s required elsewhere. After appearing in several of the Fleurys’ social media accounts, he gets a call from Tanger who insists that he come visit them next, as Montreal is only an hour away. 

 

Sid’s six days into his vacation with Flower and he thinks that’s a good time to depart, before he completely overstays his welcome. It’s been fun, hanging out and talking about the old days. Scarlett has even let him have a go at her latest game, which he’s better at than she’d expected since he’s had a lot of time to play of late. Mostly single-player, so that his friends don’t know how much time he’s sunk into the endeavour by sharing his stats online. 

 

He rents a car to head down to Montreal, where Kris has taken up a post offering his thoughts for Hockey Night in Canada. It’s the perfect job for him because he’s got a lot of insight that used to be overlooked off the ice, and he gets to be perfectly groomed and put on television three times a week. 

 

Although Alex is the same age as Estelle, he doesn’t react the same way to Sid’s arrival as the girls did. He stays away, aloof, for the first few hours of Sid’s visit. Sid’s a little hurt by this and it apparently shows because Kris is quick to assure him that Alex is trying to seem cool. He definitely wants to hang out with Sid.

 

At dinner, Sid is placed with Catherine on one side and Alex on the other and he notices Alex seems to be mirroring his own eating pattern. When Sid goes for his broccoli, so does Alex. If Sid suddenly puts down his fork, Alex’s will clatter down a second later. It warms him through so much he doesn’t mind that he’s being otherwise ignored.

 

At age ten, Angelica has no such concerns for being seen as cool. She happily chatters from across the table, telling the room at large in French about her newest obsession, an adolescent pop star who apparently is progressive because she doesn’t hide her pimples and wears a bandana as a shirt. Sid’s not sure he’s heard that right, but he decides it would be better not to think too much about the logistics of this. 

 

He gives Alex a little nudge and asks him if  _ he _ has a favourite band or artist. Alex mumbles something in reply that could have been a band called ‘patience please’ or maybe he’d asked Sid to pass the peas. He doesn’t know, so he gives in for the moment and turns back to Catherine, who is always kind enough to articulate and unlike her son, will also make eye contact with him.

 

_X_

 

It’s a nice visit all round, but Sid is staying in the mother-in-law suite which means he’s got a lot of privacy, which is thoughtful but unnecessary. It gives him too much time on his own to dwell on the fact that his best friends have families that are growing up so fast. It seems like these kids will all be adults soon, and it won’t be long until they aren’t even vaguely impressed by their odd bachelor uncle. He doesn’t want to seem weird to them.

 

Still nervous about outstaying welcomes, but as no invitations have been forthcoming, he decides to take the initiative after four days with the Letangs.

 

He calls Phil, since he hasn’t seen him since his retirement, a year before Sid. He’d been healthy too, and Sid had tried to convince him that if he just hung on for a little longer, he could be captain. Phil had laughed at him for that, insisting no team wanted a newbie captain about to hit forty. He’d bowed out gracefully and just last month his son had been born. Sid had been at Phil and Cassie’s wedding, but he’d never visited their home. He and Phil were too private and they’d failed to intersect on it before now, with Phil being too reserved to ask and Sid too polite to invite himself. 

 

He’s making himself get over it now though because he knows he will feel better to see the new baby. If Phil is starting his family at forty, then it probably isn't too late for Sid yet. 

 

He feels bad that it’s the reason he’s finally checking in with someone who has always been a good friend to him, that it’s so selfish at its core, but when he gets Phil on the phone he sounds excited to see him. More likely, he’s more excited to show off baby Ethan, but Sid’s totally okay with that.

 

_X_

 

When the call comes, his phone is set to vibrate so he doesn’t disturb the baby. He’s prone to dropping off at any moment and Sid would hate to make him cry. The vibrating is still strong enough to disturb Sid, though, and the urgency to get it to stop is enough to propel him up onto his knees from where he’d been sitting on the floor by the playpen. It takes him a second to get up, because as fit as he is, older muscles take a moment to get going these days. He hurries from the room while looking over his shoulder to make sure he hadn’t caused Ethan to stir.

 

“Hello?” He’s expecting it to be Taylor, who had been wanting updates on his ‘grand biological clock tour’, or maybe Mario, who had been calling sporadically to check in under the ruse of more job offers. The offers were real, but an email would have sufficed. 

 

“You visit PHEEL before me???” The shouting nearly makes Sid drop his phone. He fumbles with it and is glad he left the room. An angry Russian would have definitely woken the baby.

 

“What? Geno?” 

 

He gets the phone back up to his ear and frowns. He hasn’t spoken to Geno in maybe a month and a half and even then it was mostly messaging. He hurries toward the door, planning to escape outside but when Geno continues he’s not shouting, but he’s intent to be heard.

 

“Visit Flower, that’s okay. You love Flower, girls love you, is good. Visit Tanger, think is okay, he in Canada too. But visit Phil before me? No, not okay. Not Boston before me.” 

 

Sid blinks in the sudden silence after this. 

 

What? 

 

He tries to remember who he’d told about his little trips before he realises that of course everyone knows. He’d seen the social media posts Flower and Tanger had made. He can only assume Phil or Cassie have posted the same. He tries to piece together the reason for this call because while he can sort of tell that Geno is teasing him a little, he’s probably also hurt Geno’s feelings.

 

“Well, you know…” He starts after a beat. “He has a newborn.”

 

Geno scoffs, but there’s something about his tone that Sid knows so well. He can recognise all of Geno’s little quirks. He’s not annoyed, Sid knows that much. He’s acting impatient but he’s vaguely amused. It’s a good sound, one Sid has missed.

 

“Yes. Has new baby. They need  _ sleep _ , Sid. Not uncles yet.  _ My _ kids perfect age for uncles. You come visit, they play with you for hours, then baby Eva fall asleep on you and I’m give you beer. Perfect visit for Sids.” 

 

It’s hard to argue with that. It does sound like the perfect kind of visit. Unlike Flower and Tanger, Geno’s kids are still young. Only Nikita is in middle school and his youngest, Eva, is only four. Sid doesn’t want to admit that he’s been visiting to hang out with his honorary nieces and nephews as much as his old friends, but it’s hard to deny when it’s laid out like that.

 

And it’s Geno. Geno, from whom Sid has been unable to hide anything for two decades. They’ve been close forever, but Sid has always tried to leave him his privacy where he can for how much they had no choice but to know about one another. Geno, who has struggled through two divorces in ten years and yet managed to keep his kind heart and romantic soul intact while raising his three kids in Pittsburgh.

 

There are reasons Sid has been avoiding visiting the Malkin house, but it certainly isn’t because the idea is unappealing.

 

“Siiii-id?” Geno calls, in a way that suggests it’s not the first time he’s said it. Sid scrubs a hand over his face and nods to the air.

 

“Okay, G. I’ll come visit, alright?”

 

“Good. You fly or drive?”

 

“Oh, I’ve been driving.” It’s a whole nine hours to Pittsburgh, which doesn’t sound all that appealing, but he doesn’t mind it too much. He’d done okay with the five hours from Montreal to Boston.

 

“Damn. Okay. We not pick you up at airport then, make big sign and embarrass you. Will have to embarrass at home.” The warmth with which he says it makes Sid’s heart stutter a bit. He could never say no to Geno.

 

“I’ll see you soon, Geno. Thanks for inviting me.”

 

“Yes, I’m best one to invite. This is why am best friend.”

 

It takes Sid a moment to come back to himself once the call has ended. He’s still in Phil’s nice house in Boston and there’s an awfully cute red-headed baby in the next room, but he feels a tad displaced. It isn’t surprising. Sid’s heart has always been in Pittsburgh, for more reason than one. 

 

_X_

 

Geno’s house looks exactly as it did the last time he’d been over. It hadn’t changed much in the last decade. It still wore that odd, antiquey grandmother style that had been around since even before Nikita was born, but now there were new toys scattered everywhere. There are no longer baby toys, but there are still skates and nerf guns in odd places. The first thing Sid spots as he steps inside is a unicorn hobby horse shoved in a coat stand he doesn’t recognise. It wouldn’t surprise him one bit if Geno had specifically bought a coat stand so as to have somewhere to shove hockey sticks and toys on the way through the door.

 

He can’t lament the decorating any further, as that’s when he’s swept up in an enormous hug. Geno has always been more touchy than Sid has, but he leans into it, weak to the affection.

 

“You here!” Geno croons, as if it weren’t a sure thing. It’s only been a day and a half since they spoke about it on the phone. Sid basically left Phil’s as soon as it would be polite, promising to come back when baby Ethan is more ready for visitors. 

 

God he’s warm. Geno envelopes him and though Sid stands firm, he can feel the pressure of Geno trying to rock him from side to side. He’s such an enthusiastic hugger.

 

“Yeah, I’m here,” he agrees, a touch out of breath as he extracts himself from the hug. He grins at Geno, a little embarrassed by the welcome but mostly trying to ignore the way his heart is fluttering away in his chest. 

 

He makes the mistake of thinking this will be like the rest of his vacation so far, where he’ll get a tour around the house and some time to say hi to the kids who will either be politely uninterested or too cool for his attention, before it becomes just a visit to an old pal with drinks and nostalgia. 

 

“Aren’t you going to show me around?” He asks after several seconds of Geno just grinning at him in the hallway. When Geno scoffs, he smiles in return, but he’s not sure why.

 

“Why show? Been here before.” He winks at Sid and turns on his heel and for a moment he thinks Geno is just going to leave him there to find his way around by himself (although Geno is right, he does just about know where everything is), but Geno stops at the foot of the stairs.

 

“KIDS! Sid’s here!” He hollers up the ridiculously ornate staircase. There’s a beat of silence followed quickly by the thunder of three sets of feet rushing down the stairs from who knows where.

 

Nikita is first to hit the ground floor, having leapt from halfway down from the landing. At twelve, he still runs a little bow-legged, not unlike Sid, but he’s reminded more of the way he’d bounce around even as a toddler. He’s always been an energetic kid, with a big, unabashed smile like his father. As an honorary uncle, Sid is definitely not supposed to pick favourites, but he’s always had a soft spot for Nikita.

 

“SID!” Nikita shouts, launching himself at Sid for a hug. Catching him around the middle, Sid realises just how tall he’s getting. He must be 5’6” already and Sid’s not quite able to deal with that. The hug is briefer than Geno’s but Nikita seems to have tried to squeeze harder to show up his Dad.

 

“Easy, buddy,” Sid laughs, unclamping Nikita’s hands. “You’re getting strong, huh? Look at you.” It’s a cliche but it’s fun to say. He smiles down at him and finally sees Eva and Yuliya reach the bottom of the stairs, Yuliya having waited for Eva’s significantly shorter legs to make her way down. 

 

“Hi, girls!” Sid drops down to give them both a hug, though they’re surprisingly tall too, for seven and four. He’s expecting Eva to shy away, but she snuggles into his side before Yuliya has pulled away. Running entirely on instinct, he holds onto Eva and settles her on his hip when he straightens back up.

 

He must be smiling too much because Geno smirks at him, like he can see straight through his motivations. Yeah, okay, he loves kids. Especially Geno’s kids, but he won’t say that. 

 

“Okay, come on. Sid’s late so we have lunch now,” Geno says to the kids, guiding them all through to the kitchen and dining area. Sid realises as he follows that Geno probably doesn’t speak in English a lot at home, so this is entirely for his benefit. He’s always been incredibly observant and thoughtful, though Sid isn’t sure how many of the people in his life really notice that these days. 

 

He settles in at the table and is served chicken tenders and cheese sticks just like the kids. Judging by the reactions around them, this is some sort of treat meal and the kids seem to feel that Sid is the cause of it. He’s thrilled.

 

_X_

 

The enthusiasm doesn’t stop there. Sid plays shinny with the kids outside for a while, until he and Geno get a bit caught up in competing with one another. They have a rule that they’re not allowed to run because of Geno’s knee, but naturally Geno is the first one to ignore the rule so he can make for a breakaway. 

 

When the afternoon starts to turn cool, they retreat back inside and the kids turn on the TV. It’s only then that Sid realises they’re still in the middle of the school term.

 

“How come they’re home today?” He asks as he leans back on one of the ugly but incredibly comfortable easy chairs. 

 

He’s quite used to Geno looking at him sometimes like he’s obtuse, but he doesn’t immediately see the solution for this one and can’t correct whatever he’s said.

 

“They want to see you. It’s best reason for day off school,” Geno says as he rolls his head on the headrest so he can look at him and his cheek is smooshed into the leather. 

 

Sid knows he should be horrified, because his mother would never have allowed a day off school for no good reason, but he just feels warm at the suggestion this entire household could be so excited for his arrival. 

 

“Oh, okay.” He says finally, smiling far too much. “Cool.”

 

Geno rolls his eyes, but his expression seems entirely fond. “Yeah. Cool,” he echoes, and Sid knows he’s happy too.

 

_X_

 

Geno tries to insist that Sid should stay with them, since the house is large enough for all the kids to have their own rooms without them running out of spares. It’s very tempting, but unlike his other stops, he does have a house in Pittsburgh and there’s no need to tread on anyone’s toes. Besides, he thinks, if he’s not underfoot all day, he might not get on anyone’s nerves for a long time. 

 

He goes back to his own house in Sewickley, just ten minutes away, and tries not to think about just how empty and bleak it seems. At least it’s familiar. He settles into old routines and suitably distracts himself with TV and scrolling aimlessly on his phone. It feels a lot like being back at the lake house, although at least there is the promise of something more interesting than fishing by himself tomorrow.

 

He’s expecting much of the same reception when he stops by the next morning, but when he arrives, it’s chaos.

 

He thought waiting to come over until mid-morning would mean he could talk Geno into coming out with him for lunch, so they could hang out for a while before the kids needed to be collected from school. He hadn’t given time to consider how fickle parenting could be.

 

When the front door opens, Geno doesn’t look pleased to see Sid, he just looks harried. He has Yuliya on his hip and she’s sniffling like she’s either sick or been crying for hours. Maybe both. She’s too tall these days to be carried easily and her long legs hang down to Geno's knees, but Geno shows no sign of this being a bother to him.

 

Geno shoots him an apologetic look and Sid is about to politely excuse himself when there’s a shriek further down the hall. Eva is clutching the stairs, her face red and blotchy and there’s no doubting why with the tears streaming down her face.

 

“PAPAAAA!” She wails as she stumbles over towards her father, hands outstretched for him to pick her up, only Geno’s hands are already full. 

 

Geno looks like he’s ready to tackle the task of juggling both his girls, but with Yuliya clinging to him Sid doubts he’s going to be very successful. 

 

He ducks around Geno and gives Eva a little wave before he drops down to a crouch for her. Sid notices both the girls are still in their pajamas, but while he’s fairly sure Yuliya is sick, he thinks Eva is just unhappy. She’s still waddling over to Geno when Sid decides to make the play at being helpful. He scoops her up before she can protest and stands, carrying her the last few steps to her father but keeping her in his own arms. 

 

Geno, still in his parenting zone, doesn’t look at Sid at all. He leans in to kiss Eva’s head, his hair grazing Sid’s chin on the way, and murmurs something comforting to her in Russian. Sid has no idea what he said, but it sounds comforting to him at least.

 

When Geno straightens up, Eva’s not crying loudly anymore, just grizzling, so Sid pats her back as he holds her and hopes that the moment of drama is over.

 

“Yuliya sick today. You okay to hold Eva and I’m go put her to bed?” For a moment, Sid doesn’t react to this, as he didn’t notice Geno was talking to him. He’d been staring down at Eva, trying to will her into feeling safe and calm. 

 

“Whuh? Oh, for sure. We’ll be in the living room, I guess?” He hopes his smile is encouraging as he takes a step backwards to the front room. Geno shoots him one of his dazzling, grateful smiles and turns to hurry up the stairs. When he disappears from view and they can no longer hear him nattering to Yuliya, Eva lets out a little whimper. 

 

“No, hey, it’s okay,” he coos to her as he quickly turns to head back into the living room. He was going to sit on the couch but when he sees the toys scattered about he changes tack and elects to drop down onto the floor next to a doll house. Even with her wet, red face and light whining, Eva gives the toys an interested look.

 

“Your da- your papa will be down in a sec. He’s just got to look after Yuliya for a little while, then he’ll come play with you, alright?” He doesn’t know if he’s helping, but he takes it as a win that she doesn’t immediately burst into tears again. He manages to keep her entertained for a few minutes by asking her what the names of her toys are. It seems a lot of the ones in this area belong to Yuliya, but she’s too old for them now, at the wise old age of seven. Eva is very serious about taking good care of them herself now, judging by the gentle way she cradles the ratty old bear monkey hybrid that might even have been Geno’s judging by its age. Sid thinks it looks a little demented, but Eva clearly loves it. She kisses its head and calls it “Cheburashka”. 

 

“Oh… He’s very cute,” Sid says, lacking in conviction but polite enough to get away with it. 

 

They’re still going over the toys when Geno returns. He looks ready to drop and Sid watches in awe as he visibly packs away the fatigue to school his expression into a smile. He’s obviously drawing energy from somewhere else as he hurries over to drop down next to them. 

 

“You playing without me?” He teases and plucks the abandoned Cheburashka from the floor to sit in his lap. 

 

“This is my, Eva,” he jokes and sticks out his tongue when Eva makes an offended noise. She tries to stare him down but ultimately giggles and blows a raspberry back at him. It’s very sweet.

 

Surely, this is Sid’s cue to leave. He’s ready to excuse himself now that he’s been of use. He’s preparing what to say, that he can come back tomorrow if Yuliya’s feeling better. Maybe they can all have dinner tomorrow night. He doesn’t  _ like _ the idea of having to fill a day and a half on his own, but he’s desperate not to be a burden. He’s lived in Pittsburgh for half his life, surely he can manage on his own for twenty-four hours and change. 

 

He has these things ready to say (and some that he absolutely  _ won’t _ say), but the opportunity doesn’t arise. Geno keeps including Sid in easy chattering with Eva about the toys, guiding her in a game where one of her dolls is sick and she has to be patient because it can’t come out to play yet. He shows her, by way of a stuffed bird being hopped across the floor, how to sneak around so she doesn’t wake her sick toy, and to load it up with blankets so it doesn’t get more sick.

 

Seeing as Eva’s still perched on his lap, it doesn’t feel polite to leave yet. So Sid stays.

 

And he continues to stay.

 

Several times throughout the morning he starts to open his mouth to offer to go, but Geno keeps asking him questions. Inane things, mostly, about Nova Scotia and what Flower’s up to, whether he’s seen that kid they’ve got playing for the Wild who is showing up all his mentors. It’s nice, like it was with all his other friends, with the exception that he’s being put to work as they talk. There’s no Vero or Catherine to chastise her husband when he starts insisting (playfully) that Sid pull his weight. Sid’s always been happy to help but when he visits he’s often left to sit at the table and wait while other people tidy. Geno has no qualms about putting a dish towel in Sid’s hands and nodding to the dishwasher. He feeds Eva a snack while Sid dries the clean plates and finds places to put them away. All the while, their conversation keeps up, and time passes quickly.

 

He’s still there for lunch, and well into the afternoon, watching Eva when Geno goes to check on Yuliya, and vice versa one time. It feels odd to be heading up the stairs on his own, but the bedrooms are labelled with bright signs proclaiming whose space it is in bright, glittery letters. However, they’re in Russian so it’s by process of elimination that he finds Yuliya’s. Nikita’s door is painted red, and Eva doesn’t look too different to English in its Russian form, but on its own, Юлия would have thrown him for a loop. He knocks on the door before he peeks his head in.

 

“Hey, it’s Uncle Sid. Your Papa wants to know if you’re hungry.”

 

He can’t see her in the dark but he waits and after a moment there’s a quiet “no, thank you,” coming from the shadowy bed under the window. 

 

“Okay, feel better soon,” he says before he leaves, shutting the door as quietly as he can. It’s a mundane little moment, but Sid is glad to have had it. 

 

Eva goes down for a nap just after two and it’s the first time since arriving in town that he and Geno get a moment alone. They collapse down into the couch like they had with the kids the day before. He feels rather wrung out. Parenting, even assisting in parenting, is exhausting.

 

Geno’s head lolls to the side so he can look at Sid. He’s got that little smile again, the one that’s so bright even without the energy behind it. His eyes are so damn expressive.

 

“Thanks for help today.”

 

Sid swallows and gives a shrug, trying not to give away what it had meant to him to be useful.

 

“Hey, it’s no problem, I’m happy to help. Do you think Yuliya will be feeling better today?”

 

Geno gives a shrug in return. It’s a little affronting that he doesn’t automatically know. Sid thought all parents just instinctively knew everything about their kids.

 

“Maybe. She little hard to go to bed last night. I’m think she just excited, break in routine, see favourite Uncle, you know?” He flashes another of those smiles and Sid does his level best not to blush.

 

“But then she not get up today. Find out she’s sick in night and not tell me. I’m just finish clean bathroom when you get here. She doesn’t have fever so I’m think is okay soon. Just hope no one else catch it, you know? Hard already when just one of them.”

 

He closes his eyes then and Sid can see just how tired he must be. He’s got those dark circles under his eyes that Sid has just taken as a new reality on his own face. He doesn’t even have three babies to fret over and he looks like this. He’s always blamed it on the hockey life, that he and all the guys around him seem to have aged prematurely, but also that they start their families so early. Maybe the family aspect really had nothing to do with it. Geno looks great, he’s not even graying, and Sid knows he doesn’t look too bad either but he  _ feels _ old on the inside and every day, it’s a little bit more external. 

 

“Well, you know, I’m around if they get sick while I’m still here. I could help?” It seems a lame offer, but Geno brightens for it. He lifts his head from the headrest and nods. 

 

“Thanks! That’s good. We be team for a bit.”

 

Well, doesn’t that sound good? There’s no fighting a smile now, or the flushing.

 

“Yeah, G. We’ll be a team.”

 

_X_

 

Really, Geno should have seen this coming. He’d given Sid a purpose on this trip, and when the purpose involved his favourite kids, there was no way he was going to provide anything but 100% of his effort. 

 

If he thinks of it that way, Sid doesn’t feel as weird about showing up at the Malkins’ front door at seven o’clock the next morning. This time, it’s Eva feeling a little under the weather. Nikita isn’t pleased to have missed a whole day with Sid and tries to fake sick as well. As a trade off, it’s Sid who drives Nikita and a newly recovered Yuliya to school. He enjoys getting to chat with them and he especially likes knowing that he’s helping, while Geno looks after Eva at home.

 

When he gets back to the house in Geno’s outrageously overpriced SUV, he’s expecting more of yesterday’s chaos. Instead, he finds Geno asleep on the couch with Eva on his chest. It hadn’t occurred to him before now that Geno probably hadn’t gotten any sleep with sick kids in the house. It was easy enough for Sid just to go home to go to bed, but now he was rethinking his refusal to stay. 

 

Against his instincts, he pulls out his phone to take a picture of them before sneaking back out of the room. They both deserve the nap, so he decides to try to find something useful to do for a little while. If they don't wake up in the next half hour then he’ll let himself out. 

 

The kitchen is tidier than it had been the day before so he finds himself at a bit of a loss, not wanting to overstep. It's one thing to tidy and another to go looking for mess. He won’t go upstairs, that feels like too much of an invasion, so he shuffles quietly around the ground floor looking for ways to help. He tidies up in the playroom, just stacking toys so they aren’t in the middle of the floor, then moves to check the laundry. There’s fresh clothes in the dryer, so he takes them out and starts folding them for something to do. He can tell by size when a top is Yuliya’s or Eva’s (and also the difference between Nikita’s and Geno’s, of course), but there’s a couple of jerseys that probably shouldn’t have been in the dryer that could belong to any of the kids. He’s just pondering one, staring at the 71 on the back, when the hairs on the back of his neck prickle and he realises he’s being watched.

 

Geno’s staring at him from the doorway with a sleepy frown. He doesn’t seem upset, but he’s always had a difficult time waking, even from his naps. It’s the sort of knowledge that is usually intimate, but is par for the course in their work. Their former work.

 

“Hi?” He tries, wondering just how tired Geno is. Has he forgotten Sid was there this morning? Or is he trying to remember what day it is?

 

Geno huffs a little breath of a laugh and crosses his arms.

 

“You not stay in house but you do laundry?” He asks, smirking at Sid and revealing that he’s not as sleep-addled as he first appeared. 

 

Sid does his level best not to be embarrassed and gives Geno a tight smile, no teeth. He sets down the jersey and continues folding. It’s an attempt to run with it and not seem like he’s been caught at something. If he acts like it’s not weird, then maybe it’s not weird.

 

“I’m a very thoughtful friend,” he says, trying to push his conviction behind the joke as best he can. Geno’s always been better at teasing than he has. “Somebody’s got to be.” It's a dumb thing to say. The sort of snappy reply that means nothing when you think about it. Geno called and invited him. He’d offered up his home and time with his family. Of course Geno is the more thoughtful friend. He’s about to open his mouth again, this time to apologise, but then Geno laughs.

 

“Yeah yeah, you real cute. Put down my underwear and come have coffee.” He winks at Sid and turns back to the kitchen. Sid drops what he’s holding like it’s ignited, but when he looks at the laundry basket he’d only been folding a child-sized tank top.

 

“Asshole,” he mumbles, blushing for having been had. 

 

In the kitchen, Geno is clunking about with cups and isn’t at all bothered to have his back to Sid. When Sid has guests he never goes without making acknowledging eye contact, not even when they’re a long-term guest. Not even with family, actually. 

 

“Where’s Eva?” He asks as he gets the milk out of the fridge. Before he retired he always drank his coffee black, but he doesn’t really know why he held out all those years. What does it matter? He doesn’t even say anything as Geno dumps sugar into their mugs, even though Geno is smirking. He hip checks him, because he can’t let it go completely. 

 

“She still asleep on couch. She find us if she need. Thanks for taking kids to school. Big deal, Sidney Crosby driving them places.” Geno holds out a mug to Sid and he takes it with both hands.

 

“Shut up. I’m happy to help. They’re great kids.”

 

Sid heads over to sit at the table and smiles a little when he hears Geno’s offended gasp behind him. He loves the dramatics.

 

Geno sits down heavily and points an (enormous) accusatory finger at Sid.

 

“I know they best, but what if they not great kids, huh? What if I’m have monsters? You not come help. Worst friend.”

 

“I thought I was cute?” It’s a brave move, even innocent as it is, so he stares Geno down, sticking to his ‘act normal’ strategy. 

 

Geno scowls at him.

 

“You can be both."

 

_X_

 

The next day when he comes over, no one is sick. There might be a lowered energy in the house, but no one’s missing school over it. He stays anyway, just to make sure. It’s fun, hanging out. He helps with the groceries and comes with Geno to drop Eva to play group. They eat lunch at a restaurant, even though they get stopped for photos, and even though it should be mundane, it’s some of the most fun Sid’s had in the last few months. 

 

He comes over the day after that too, and the next. He follows Geno to his coaching commitments and sits and watches while he skates around after over-enthusiastic teens. He helps Nikita check his math homework the next day, and Yuliya with her slapshot the one after that. He spends a good amount of each day with Eva on his hip, with her telling him stories as she points to things and makes him ferry her around. 

 

It’s rather idyllic.

 

He manages to let two weeks pass this way before he can no longer keep the thought from intruding. It’s kind of weird, what he’s doing. None of the Malkins seem to mind, but it’s not normal behaviour. He’s not the nanny. He’s not, he admits with some small hurt, a part of their family. And yet there he is, every day at 7am, even on Saturdays when Geno is still going to sleep for another two hours, but the kids are up playing video games. It’s weird, right?

 

He should stop.

 

He knows he should step back, but he’s not completely blind, if he just leaves then he might run the risk of hurting their feelings. So he should talk to Geno about it first. He just has to work up the courage to do that.

 

It takes him two days. He drags it out until a Thursday afternoon when they take refuge on the patio from a particularly lethal game of frisbee where Sid and Geno are less participants and more the targets. 

 

“So… We should talk.” He swallows once he’s said it, squaring his shoulders like it’s a face off. 

 

Rather than take it seriously, Geno just raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. It’s remarkably disarming.

 

“You breaking up with me Sid?” He asks, and though his expression doesn’t seem to change much, Sid can tell he’s seconds away from a smirk. 

 

“Fuck off,” he mumbles, meaning to be only too quiet for the kids to hear, but it barely comes out of his mouth at all. 

 

Geno taps Sid’s shoulder and waits until Sid meets his eyes again.

 

“You have to go?” He asks, and this time he’s not playing around. He looks rather sad actually, those permanently sleepy eyes are looking particularly puppy-like as he watches Sid. Sid swallows again, and this time it doesn’t help him push down any feeling.

 

“It’s been great here,” he begins, trying to smile, trying to seem encouraging. He doesn’t think he manages either. “I’ve really loved it, but it’s been too long, you know? I’m here all the time so I should- I should go, don’t you think? The kids will be sick of me soon and I don’t want to overstay my welcome and make it… Make it weirder.”

 

To avoid staring at that pout any more, he looks back at the lawn where the kids are playing. Yuliya and Eva have ganged up on Nikita, but since he’s taller and faster, they’re not having a lot of success. They’re all laughing though, and Sid’s heart clenches at the thought of having to miss this.

 

“It’s NOT weird.” The words are forceful and they cut through the air. They’re also said too loud and Eva glances at them on her way to grab the frisbee again, but she doesn’t stop. 

 

Sid looks back at Geno and is rather disappointed to find the puppy face is gone. He looks annoyed now. Damnit.

 

“We like you here! I’m like you here. You stay forever if you want, is fine.”

 

There’s a stubborn set to Geno’s jaw and now he’s the one not looking him in the eye. He’s staring down his lawn sprinkler like it’s personally offended him.

 

“I appreciate that, G,” he starts, carefully. “It’s really nice of you guys to put up with me for so long, but I’ve got to leave sometime. Don’t I?”

 

Geno huffs, his arms crossing over his chest. “DO you?” He asks, still speaking forcefully.

 

“…Yes?” Sid responds at length. That’s got to be the right answer, doesn’t it?

 

“We ask you stay in house, you know. Could have stayed longer. Could have moved in, would still be good. Like having you here. We all like. I’m like most, is like-“ Geno cuts off, looking annoyed. At best guess, Sid would think he’s irritated at himself for having used the word ‘like’ so many times. 

 

“I’m  _ enjoy _ having you here,” Geno says, confirming for Sid that it was the word choice bothering him.

 

“I enjoyed it too,” Sid offers, because he doesn’t think this is going to be a fight anymore. Not that it ever should have been.

 

“Then stay! Is like having second parent in house, you know? I’m like having partner.” 

 

Things go quiet. There’s a lull in the game and Sid watches Nikita flop down on the grass because if he continues looking at Geno he’ll have to think about the fact that his best friend has gone pink and he just doesn’t have the ability to think that through. 

 

“That’s- That’s great, G. I’m glad I’ve helped, and it’s been a lot of fun. But I’m not um…” He takes a breath. “I’m not sure I want to be here to babysit when you do find your next partner. I don’t think I can do that.”

 

His shoulders feel tight and he shrugs in an attempt to loosen them, while also wanting to appear aloof. Whenever he’s alone with Geno lately he spends a lot of time trying to look more casual than he is. He remembers doing that a lot before Geno’s retirement too, when he’d been acting like it was good that he was going out by choice - like he was happy for him.

 

The large hand dropping onto his wrist startles him, and he nearly shakes it off as he turns back to Geno. He’s a step closer now, and he’s still staring at him intently, but his brows have raised so there’s less annoyance visible. When was the last time he studied anyone’s face as diligently as he studied Geno’s? He was always looking for clues, even though everyone else always said Geno was an open book.

 

“What?” He whispers, when the silence hangs too long between them. Did he say too much?

 

Geno’s fingers flex on Sid’s wrist, and he looks down at it, then back up at Sid’s face.

 

“What if… No new partner. What if we be partners instead? Already team. Can be something else now. I’m think it would be… Would be everything I’m want.”

 

Sid finds him swaying forward, both to study Geno’s face for intent and also just naturally drawn to him. Good god, he doesn’t think he’s misunderstood. If this is really happening…

 

He’s still moving forward, leaning in but not closing his eyes. He’s not going for the kiss and even if he was, his mouth is hanging open, so it wouldn’t have been tidy. It never even occurred to him before this that kissing Geno would be an option. 

 

Midway through scrutinising Geno’s open and hopeful expression, when he’s just starting to smile, Geno’s hand slides up Sid’s arm to his shoulder, gently stopping him on his approach. There’s only time for the briefest swoop of hurt in his stomach before Geno’s forehead comes to rest against his own. He lowers his gaze, instinctively, to Geno’s mouth. He hasn’t seen it this close since their last cup win, but there’s no champagne involved now.

 

“Maybe not have first kiss in front of kids, okay?” Geno whispers, and he’s smiling now. Sid steps back, blushing, but he grabs Geno’s hand because fuck it, he wants to and he’s not going to question if the world has tipped on its axis and is letting him have this now.

 

“I wasn’t going to kiss you. I wanted to see if you’d had a stroke or something,” he gripes, but he’s grinning. Geno grins back. They’re still smiling at each other like dopes when a frisbee bounces off the side of Geno’s head. Even when Sid doubles over laughing, he doesn’t let go of Geno’s hand. 

 

_X_

 

Sid loves all the time he gets with the kids, but now he’s looking back at all the alone time he’s had with Geno for two weeks that could have been better spent. He misses those times. The evening is wonderful and yet it still seems to drag on. His chest is tight and he doesn’t remember the last time his heart felt so fluttery without skates on. He of course stays for dinner (they’d had to have dragged him out of the house otherwise) and he snorts beer when a sudden and short-lived food fight ends with a pea stuck up Nikita’s nose. He loves that Geno is cackling the whole time he pushes Nikita’s other nostril shut and advises him to blow. He loves even more the secret smile Geno gives him once the offending pea has been safely disposed of. He’s seen that smile before, but it’s only now that he comprehends the true significance of it.

 

On other nights he’s made his quiet excuses after dessert, once their energies are all flagging, and he wishes the kids goodnight with a polite wave from the door before stepping out.

 

Tonight, there’s no way he’s leaving until he’s had a second alone with his host. He stays settled on the couch, feeling a little awkward under the odd look Yuliya gives him as she and Nikita get up to trudge upstairs. He waves to them all and tries not to melt when Geno cradles dozing Eva in his arms and gives Sid another of those sweet, basically loving, smiles over her head. Sid can see himself getting addicted to those smiles.

 

It only occurs to him a few awkward minutes later that perhaps he should have offered to help. How though? He loves the kids but they’re not completely used to him. He can’t help with baths or actually getting ready to sleep. Maybe he could read a story? But surely only Eva gets stories read to her? He remembers his father reading to him well into his double digits but he knows better than to assume anything about his childhood was completely regular. 

 

Putting three children to bed takes time and Sid feels awkward enough that he has to turn the TV back on, because sitting in the silence is getting uncomfortable because he doesn’t know what Geno’s going to say when he returns. He has a fair idea it’s positive, but to what level? Sid lives in Canada again now. Will he have to move? He doesn’t know how he feels about returning to Pittsburgh. What are the kids’ citizenship situations? 

 

He’s getting ahead of himself. Mindless television. That’s the answer when he can’t stop thinking.

 

He gets all the way through two heated reruns of Escape to the Country (even the difference in ten years of housing pricing is outrageous to him), before finally he hears movement on the stairs. He fumbles with the remote to switch the TV off as if he’s been caught at something. 

 

He turns to face the door and tries to relax his shoulders, which have jumped up around his ears with his nerves.

 

Geno appears a moment later and stutters in his gait when he sees Sid. Sid’s gaze might be a little intense, but he can’t help it right now.

 

There’s a pause, where they just stare at each other from across the room. When Geno doesn’t immediately approach him, Sid gets to his feet. The bravery only gets him within a couple of steps from Geno, but this- this is still great. 

 

Despite the distance, Geno’s pupils are blown wide and his lips look pinker. Maybe he’s been chewing them. Sid doubts it’s lipgloss but he wouldn’t mind that either. His hair is also a mess, but it tends to be by default these days. There’s not much he could do to debauch this man further, but by god he wants to try. 

 

Reading his mind, or projecting, Geno huffs a light chuckle. “You owe me kiss,” he says, and he looks like it took a lot to say that. He loves how brave Geno is. He can’t get enough of it.

 

“Is that what you want?” Sid asks. It’s not the suave thing he had planned, it’s a weaker thing, a request for more assurance as if Geno hasn’t been the one laying it all at his feet. He regrets it almost instantly and to make up for it he closes the gap between them so they’re chest to chest. He has to tilt his head back to look at him now. Geno’s chest is warm and wide and soft in his old T-shirt. He knows they’re meant to be kissing now but he could just as easily snuggle into his arms and stay there. Maybe later.

 

“Is what I’m want most,” Geno murmurs, bringing Sid’s attention back to his perfect mouth. Always the brave one.

 

“Me too,” he whispers. It’s only fair to be honest now.

 

“So do it,” Geno whispers back, making Sid’s brow furrow and his lips quirk up. Geno has always been a massive troll.

 

“Don’t know if I want to now,” he says back and yes, this is far wittier than the last attempt. He likes that and he smirks up at Geno. If he just sways forward a little he’d have him, and it’s taking all his restraint not to just go for it.

 

“So go home then,” Geno says, now smirking, and Sid has to laugh.

 

“Asshole,” he replies and rocks forward. Their lips connect and his veins seem to sing, his hands moving on instinct to grab at him, his hips, his back, up to his shoulders. He’s on top of the world. He’s standing at the summit and Geno is there with him, with his enormous hands trying to map Sid’s body in turn. 

 

As first kisses go, it’s so high up there that it’s practically in orbit. 

 

In an ideal world, this is the moment where, without words, he’d be invited upstairs to turn the best kiss of his life into something else, but instead they break away after a minute or two. There’s no going upstairs, because that’s where the children are sleeping. Although, the fact that Geno’s got three perfect kids all his own is an ideal in its own way.

 

He gives in to temptation and lets his head drop down to rest on Geno’s shoulder, a place he’s been many times before in his life, but there’s no reason to be coy now and he angles his face into Geno’s collarbone and nuzzles at the stretched soft collar of his T-shirt. The arms around him tighten and now he’s getting the hug that features in his dreams.

 

“I could stay here forever,” he muses, muffled by the cotton in which he’s planted his face. 

 

He feels Geno’s chuckle more than he hears it and short fingernails move to scritch lightly through his hair. 

 

“Good. Dare you,” comes the reply. Sid’s always loved a challenge.

 

_X_

 

The real challenge, actually, is having to pull apart long enough to actually go home. He wants to stay. Geno wants him to stay. But they can’t. Part of Geno’s enormous appeal is that he’s a great father and ill-planned and impromptu sleepovers don’t factor into that. 

 

He’s back the next morning at 7 sharp anyway and he gets to see what the last two weeks had have been like if he’d declared his feelings right away. The kids get sent off to school, as usual. They play with Eva for a while and then take her to daycare. Now, instead of going out to lunch, they stay in and abandon their reheated pizza in favour of making out on the couch. They can’t keep their hands off each other and it’s the best Sid’s ever felt. 

 

They’re definitely not late to pick up Eva. They wouldn’t dare. However, if anyone notices that Geno’s shirt is inside out, no one comments. His fashion sense as always been on the adventurous side. 

 

It rains that afternoon, so they can’t play outside after school. Instead, they all pack onto the couch to take turns playing racing games. It means, of course, that Sid gets to sit smashed into Geno’s side, comfortable and safe in the company of a great family. At least until Yuliya decides she has to sit between them to pout after a loss, and even though she’s a bit upset, it’s cute and he likes that he’s a comfort to her too. 

 

He does offer to help with the bedtime routine this time, but he was right before, there’s not a lot he can do and Geno’s apologetic about it, asking him just to sit tight and ‘stay cute’. 

 

He doesn’t sit still. He unstacks the dishwasher instead and Geno finds him in the kitchen, decidedly not ‘sitting tight’. He gets swatted with a dish towel and then he gets kisses by the sink. He doesn’t regret helping one bit.

 

_X_

 

He waits until the next morning, Saturday, to take a risk. Once again he’s there bright and early. Nikita and Yuliya are up, and once Nikita’s let Sid inside he flops back onto the couch next to his sister to continue watching the TV. They’re still in their pajamas and it seems like a slow start, even for them.

 

“I’m gonna go see if your Dad’s awake,” he tells the kids and gets only grunting replies as he leaves. 

 

It feels odd and exciting, creeping up the stairs to find Geno’s bedroom. He hasn’t ever been in there before, but even though it’s not labelled like the kids’ doors, it’s easy enough to find. Well, he only opens one closet door before he finds it, anyway. The external hinges really should have been a clue.

 

The room is dark, only an outline of light peeking out around the edges of the blinds, and it suddenly occurs to him that this is Geno’s private space. He should have knocked.

 

Belatedly, he taps his knuckles against the door and directs his attention to the lump in the middle of the big bed.

 

“Hey, G? It’s me.” He tries to whisper shout and he bites back a smile as the lump twists under the blankets, spasming as Geno seems to struggle awake. 

 

“Sid?”

 

God, Sid loves how sleepy and rough he sounds.

 

“Yeah. Can I come in?” He steps inside anyway, shutting the door carefully behind him. He takes a couple of steps towards the bed, then braves it and crosses the room to sit on the edge of the bed, one knee up on the mattress so he can twist toward where Geno is sprawled out. His face appears out from under a pillow and even in the dimness he looks mussed and utterly charming. If he didn’t already look amazing, then he has the audacity to smile, and Sid’s whole world feels complete. 

 

“Good morning,” Sid whispers, and he leans in to kiss Geno. It’s quite a lean to reach him with his head flat on the mattress, and he should have seen it coming because Geno’s hands are suddenly snatching around him, making him over balance and tip into Geno’s waiting arms.

 

They both laugh as Sid struggles to right himself, only to be manhandled into a full-body cuddle. He’s on top of the covers and Geno under them, but everything is warm. He nudges his nose against Geno’s once they’ve settled, unable to get enough of him.

 

“You think you’re so cute,” he murmurs, lacking any conviction to the suggestion that he isn’t.

 

“You know is true,” Geno murmurs back, stealing soft kisses as he pleases.

 

Sid’s going to say something witty back, he’s sure of it, however there’s a happy shout from outside the door.

 

“УТРО, ПАПА!” Eva bellows her greeting through the wood, the words getting quieter to signal she’s only passing. 

 

"Доброе утро. Уходи!” Geno calls back, barely lifting his face away from Sid’s to do so. Then he grins at Sid and he looks so young then, so much like the sweet kid he knew and adored from the very beginning. But he’s even better now. He’s got wisdom in his eyes, even with his sweet child-like expressions, and faint lines around his mouth from the years of joy and laughter that have followed him. Sid might have been able to have this, what they’ve got now, for years already, it’s true. But if he had to pick a moment to be together, from all the potential milestones and big moments in the universe, he probably still would have picked this one. Together in this bed, laughing, on a soft Saturday morning. 

 

It’s not exactly like Sid’s dreams, but it’s more than perfect.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments are love. Come say hi to me on [tumblr](https://that-thing-you-roo.tumblr.com/)!


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